US President Donald Trump has taken a "courageous" and "historic" step by recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, America's Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has said.

This is the right thing to do. And what the president is doing is he’s showing leadership,” Haley told Fox News. (Reuters)

US President Donald Trump has taken a “courageous” and “historic” step by recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, America’s Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley has said. Trump recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital yesterday, reversing decades of US and international policy on the holy city, in a major announcement which many Arab leaders warned could trigger an upheaval in the already volatile Middle East. Indian-American Haley said that for 22 years, there had been an overwhelming bipartisan consensus in favour of moving the US embassy in Israel to its rightful place in the Israeli capital city of Jerusalem. “Today, the President took a courageous and historic step that was long overdue. Across the globe, America has its embassy in the capital city of the host country. Israel will now be no different. It is the just and right thing to do,” she said yesterday. Noting that the Trump Administration was committed to seeing Israelis and Palestinians come together at peace, Haley said but at the same time it will do what it does in every other country and put the embassy in the capital.

“Courage doesn’t come by doing what everybody else says. Courage does by coming what you know is right. This is the right thing to do. And what the president is doing is he’s showing leadership,” Haley told Fox News. “And will there be those that have negative feelings about what we’re doing? Yes, of course. But could this possibly lead to a peace process? Absolutely. And that should be our hope and that should be what we strive to do,” she said. “This is following members of Congress. This is doing what the American people said. But we are also taking Jerusalem out of the discussion because the two sides have to come together on how they’re going to see Jerusalem, what they’re going to see as their capital,” she said.

Haley said several top American lawmakers have described Trump’s decision as “provocative” and “counterproductive”. In a joint statement Congressmen David Price, Peter Welch, John Yarmuth, Barbara Lee and Earl Blumenauer said Trump’s announcement demonstrates “his complete disregard” for long-standing American and international diplomatic practice. “It unilaterally undermines prospects for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and recklessly endangers US, Israeli, and regional security. For more than 50 years, Republican and Democratic Administrations have recognised that the US should stand as a good faith arbiter for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians,” they said.

The lawmakers said that recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel outside the framework of a final status agreement between the parties does more to sabotage than to advance peace. Congressman Alcee Hastings warned that the ramifications of the decision could be profound. “I fear that the President made his decision based on political expediency rather than sound foreign policy,” he said. However, Senator Ted Cruz supported the move.
“I encourage countries around the world to now engage in their own moment of historical moral clarity, to follow America’s lead in recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, immediately begin the process of moving their embassies to Jerusalem, and stand with the US and Israel in voting against any future effort in international forums that attempts to deny historic truth,” Cruz said.

“President Trump’s decision sabotages relations with the Palestinians, stokes even more conflict in the Middle East, and further embarrasses the US in the world,” said Congresswoman Betty McCollum. “The President is wilfully abdicating the US’ role as a peacemaker in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ending any hope of a two-state solution with East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state,” she alleged.

Mr Trump showed courage and has done the right thing by swimming against the tide. The UK and France recent history has shown would like to hunt with the hounds and run with the hare. Both they as well as the European union depend on the countries in the Middle East for keeping many of their industries alive. Not so the USA. The terrorist nation of Iran will make use of this move by Mr Trump to create disruptions and through its proxies will start disruptions and terrorist activities all the time claiming that it is protecting the rights of the Palestinians. Turkey and Saudi Arabia will fall into the trap of Iran and will try to take the mantle of leadership for Iran. While distracting the attention of the world to Israel and Jeru m Iran will be secretly consolidating its hold on Yemen, Syria, Iraq,Lebanon, Parts of Saudi Arabia. Mr Trump would be wise not to be distracted and send over some bombers to fly over Iran and if need be drop bombs on Iran nuke sites. Iran is deathly.